Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi

Who is Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi?

Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi SPk, SK, was a Pakistani statesman during the Cold war and during the post cold war. Kazi was born in Sindh, Bombay Presidency in 1919 to an educationist family of academic class. Kazi started his career in Indian Civil Service in 1944 and served as the Deputy Commissioner of Bihar and Orissa. After creation of Pakistan and Indian partition, Kazi migrated to Pakistan and joined Provincial Government of Sindh, and held vital positions such as Secretary of Finance and Secretary to Governor.

During the early sixties, he was Economic Minister in the Pakistan Embassy to the USA. After a brief stint as Additional Chief Secretary of West Pakistan, he was appointed Chairman of Water and Power Development Authority. In the latter assignment, he was responsible for the completion of the Mangla Dam Project. In March 1969, Kazi was appointed Secretary for Industries and Natural Resources and a year later, he went on to serve as the Finance Secretary, a post he held for over three years until his elevation as Secretary General.

After the power struggle triggered by General Yahya Khan's general election, Zulfikar Bhutto became the new leader of Pakistan. In 1973, Kazi next became Secretary General Finance and Economic Coordination. When Ghulam Ishaq Khan became Finance Minister, Kazi was appointed Economic Advisor to the President in July 1977. In 1978, Kazi was appointed as Governor of State Bank of Pakistan until 1986. The Pakistan State Bank, under Kazi, was characterized by excellent financial discipline in the banking sector coupled with good relations with the Federal Government. Kazi started a career that would last for half a century making him the longest serving civil servant in the history of Pakistan. As a leading civil servant, Kazi passed through several major events in the history of Pakistan, including the removal of Bhutto and the mysterious death of General Zia-ul-Haq. In 1993, he was appointed as the Chairman Privatization Commission and was again given the status of a Federal Minister as Chief Executive of the Pakistan Investment Board. In 1994, Kazi retired from office, at the age of 75, and currently leads a quiet retired life in Islamabad.